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Why we Need to Live in the Present

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The present is where the action is right now. This is where all those neutrinos and quarks that quantum physicists talk about pop in and out of the reality. They are what can change a random possibility into a probability. Probabilities of the kind that support our growth and smooth out the bumps in life are what we all really want. We want to mend all those old fences so the pigs don’t get into our beautifully tended garden, eating everything in site and smashing the rest.

How do we know where those pigs are lurking! The signs are all around us. Their footprints are found in our thoughts, in the people around us, in what we see, hear and smell. There is nothing except the Eterneal Stillness of the Universe that is free of those piggy footprints. If we see one small hint in our reality and we constructively work to eliminate it, it will dramatically affect all our future moments.

Let me give you an example. In our community we had a very well known homeless man who slept on the streets and in little sheltered spots in the neighborhood. Try as we might we could not bet him into an indoor space. This went on for years. He was mentally ill but harmless and everyone would give him food and money. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, he was presented with a large hot turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

We watched him deteriorate, despite all our efforts to help him. Eventually we were able to get him into an indoor space where he had a bath for the first time in years. He had the mats cut out of his hair and he slept in a real bed. It was at that time that he realized how much he had missed all of the things that were being offered to him over the years.

Everyone involved with this individual were trying to help him but his illness and some past tragedy prevented him from acceptiong the help and from trusting us. Now, because of his decision to make a change in the way he lived, despite his fear, which is no small change, his whole life is different now. He is in a warm place, he has a bed to sleep in and three nutritious meals every day.

Each of us has the power to make tiny changes in the way our lives unfold. By making those micro-changes, the pigs will not be able to get into the garden in the same way anymore. It doesn’t mean they are necessarily gone, they are just lurking on the other side of the fence, waiting for the opportunity to break through. By rejecting certain types of thoughts, eating more appropriately, staying away from places where negativity reigns and choosing wisely, every moment after that will be different. And, by continuing to choose all aspects of your life more appropriately, the fence gets stronger and stronger. Soon, the pigs will never get into the garden again and will go somewhere elso looking for food.

Changes don’t have to be huge. It could be as simple as refusing to self-criticize as much. By drawing your awareness to when you do it, you make a decision to do it less and less until you aren’t doing it anymore.

Pick one small thing you want to change and do your best to recognize every time you do it, then stop doing it. Being present in the present is key. What you did a minute or five minutes ago doesn’t matter. What you are doing now, is what is important. Now is where you are creating every moment of your future. If you want it to be better, start now to make it better. You can do this because it is the present.